Support the First U.S. Senator to Give Birth in Office – Don't make Senator Duckworth Breastfeed in the Senate Bathroom

Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is a trail-blazer by nature. One of the first women to fly helicopter missions in Iraq, she was wounded in action, and went on to became the first disabled woman elected to the Senate. Now she will be the first senator to give birth while in office.

Sign our petition to make sure she isn't punished for that groundbreaking action. Senator Duckworth is due next month, and she plans on taking 12 weeks of family leave, but under current rules she won't be allowed to vote or sponsor legislation while on leave.

If she chooses NOT to take leave, she still would not be allowed to vote by proxy, so when critical votes occur in the closely divided Senate, she would need to fly from Chicago to vote in person (as Sen. McCain did when he was under treatment for brain cancer).

Additionally, children are not allowed on the floor of the Senate, so she would have to leave her child with an aide while she votes. Or if she leaves her child at home, she'll need to pump breastmilk in the woman's bathroom off the Senate floor, as there is no lactation room at the Senate chamber.

All of these options should be unacceptable in the 21st Century. Family leave shouldn't be a punishment and working mothers need to be supported. Sign our petition to back Senator Duckworth's efforts for a more inclusive Senate. Allow new mothers to serve our country in the nation's highest offices.

Care2 is proud to be collaborating with Ultraviolet on this advocacy effort.